Bork Qualifies For U.S. Paralympic National Championships

May 5, 2011, 4:26 PM

MITCHELL, SD -
Dakota Wesleyan University sprinter Hunter Bork is never the first runner to cross the finish line when he competes for the Tiger track and field team. In fact, he’s usually near the back of the pack.

Bork, a sophomore from Mount Vernon, S.D., lost his left leg to osteosarcoma, a cancerous bone tumor, before he turned 18, but that hasn’t stopped him from running -- or from having big goals. Instead of focusing on his poor finishes, Bork has instead been focusing on bettering his personal times and marks.

Now, all of Bork’s hard work and persistence has paid off. Bork qualified for the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships in three events, DWU head track coach Pat Belling found out recently. Bork qualified for the national Paralympics in the 100-meter dash, the long jump and the high jump.

Bork’s qualifying time in the 100-meter dash was 16.57 seconds. He qualified for the long jump thanks to a leap of 13-feet-5 inches at the Doane College Relays April 23 in Crete, Neb., and met the qualifying standard in the high jump with a mark of 4-9 at the University of Sioux Falls Invite April 29 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Bork, who has competed for the DWU track and field team for the past two seasons, will compete with athletes from around the country at the 2011 U.S. Paralympics, which run June 16-19 at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Fla.

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